


Three times Bruce should have told Clark the truth, and one time he finally did.

by FictionalKnight (Northern_Star)



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-11
Updated: 2009-03-11
Packaged: 2017-10-19 01:17:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/195279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Star/pseuds/FictionalKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The idea for this fic comes from a wonderful illustration by <a href="http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/"><b>hitokaji</b></a>. It is displayed below in thumbnail size and can be viewed full size at her journal.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Three times Bruce should have told Clark the truth, and one time he finally did.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fic comes from a wonderful illustration by [](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/profile)[**hitokaji**](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/). It is displayed below in thumbnail size and can be viewed full size at her journal.

The first time Bruce Wayne had regretted lying to Clark Kent was after a rather complicated mission in which a lot of Star City had gotten trashed. Most of the conversation had resulted from a lack of judgment on Batman's part.

"I guess I should go talk to the press," Superman had told Batman, slowly taking off from the ground so he could fly away in the direction of the crowd of reporters.

Batman had chuckled then. And slipped up. "Don't you usually give yourself the exclusive when Lois Lane isn't around?" he had asked his super-powered friend.

Ever since Bruce had discovered that Superman spent a lot of his time hiding under the guise of Clark Kent, investigative reporter for the Daily Planet, he'd come to realize that the vast majority of interviews Superman gave were either to Lois Lane - Clark's partner - or no one at all, and Clark wrote them himself.

Startled by Batman's barely hidden admission that he knew his secret, Superman had landed again and pulled the Dark Knight a little further, away from prying eyes and ears. "You know?" the Kryptonian had asked, his expression somewhere between astonishment and amazement. "Since when?"

Batman had shrugged - and lied. "A few days ago. Purely by accident, I swear."

In truth, he'd figured it out several months ago - very easily - after Bruce Wayne had purchased the Daily Planet and found himself face to face with Clark Kent. Of course, as Batman, Bruce had the advantage of having known Superman well enough, and long enough to recognize him even out of the flashy spandex costume.

However, Batman wasn't about to admit that he'd known for this long. They'd always agreed that their private lives were just that - private - and that since Batman wasn't ready to trust anyone with his true identity, he would neither expect anyone to divulge their own, nor would he ever actively attempt to figure them out. And he was afraid that, now that he knew Superman's identity, letting the Man of Steel in on it, would force Batman to reveal his own, and he wasn't nearly ready to do that.

Oddly, Superman hadn't reacted at all the way Batman had expected him to. He'd simply shrugged, smiled a bit awkwardly, and made a joke about hiding in plain sight.

"You're not concerned that I figured it out?" Batman had then asked, frowning under his cowl.

"Why should I be?" Superman had smiled and patted his friend's shoulder. "If I could manage to fool the World's Greatest Detective for so long, I think my secret's perfectly safe."

Bruce had been sorry for having lied to his friend at that moment - for giving him a false sense of security. If Bruce had been able to see that under the mild-mannered reporter's loud ties and usually rumpled suits hid the Man of Steel, then surely others stood the chance of figuring it out as well. Granted, it wasn't exactly as obvious as the bright red and yellow emblem Superman wore on his chest, but the puzzle wasn't nearly as tough to put together as the Kryptonian now seemed to think.

Of course by then it had been too late to take it back. Superman had left to meet the press already.

But the thing that had made Bruce feel the worst about his lie was that at no time that day, nor any time after that, had Superman demanded to know who hid under the Dark Knight's cowl. As if he didn't care to know. Superman hadn't asked, hadn't attempted to find out, hadn't even mentioned the fact that their original non-disclosure deal was basically void now.

Batman's lie had been completely unnecessary.

=:=

The next time Bruce Wayne had lied to Clark Kent, he'd regretted it even more. He'd done it for a reason, of course - Batman never did anything without a perfectly valid reason - but he'd later regretted it nonetheless.

They'd both been attending a charity event, in Gotham City. Bruce was there as himself, hosting this particular fundraiser in his luxurious penthouse, while Clark was making an appearance as Superman. Batman disliked the thought of any other costumed hero roaming around his city, but Bruce was smart enough to know that having Superman as a guest of honor was a sure way to attract guests - paying guests - to this event. And it had worked even better than he'd expected.

However, this was Gotham, and gathering a large number of very rich people together in the same room had proven to be a disastrous idea.

Sometime between the hors-d'oeuvre and the salad, a bomb had gone off. Then another, and then a third one.

Superman had sprung into action immediately, getting people out to safety as quickly as he could. Within minutes, Batman had shown up to give him a hand, searching for any other explosive devices which might still have been around, and helping to get people out from under the debris.

Less than a half hour after the first explosion, the place was secured and every person had been accounted for - except one.

"I can't find him anywhere," Superman had complained, frantically searching through the rubble with his X-ray vision. "What if he was too close to an explosive and..." the rest of his sentence stayed stuck in his throat.

"Him, who?" Batman had asked. As far as he knew, absolutely everyone had been rescued - he knew how many guests had been present, how many employees had been working that evening, and he knew how many people they'd gotten out. The numbers added up. There wasn't anyone missing.

Superman had turned toward Batman, wearing an expression of defeat, and said, "The owner. Bruce Wayne. No one's seen him, he's unaccounted for, and I can't _find_ him."

That's when, faced with a golden opportunity to tell Superman the truth, to reveal a secret he was starting to feel was weighing heavy on his conscience, Batman instead chose to lie again.

"I'm sure he got out," Batman had said. "Probably forgot to check in with authorities and went to hide somewhere."

"I hope so..."

"Why do you care about a spoiled rich guy anyway?" Batman had asked, using the opening to gather information. That was why he'd lied in the first place, after all, and he wasn't going to pass up a chance to find out a thing or two. Any information could be useful. For what, he didn't know yet, but still...

Superman had immediately frowned, as though Batman had just asked a ridiculous question. "I care about everyone. Every life is precious." And then as an afterthought, he'd added, "Besides, I know him... He owns the Daily Planet - surely you're aware of that."

"Still, we're talking about a guy whose greatest achievement is squandering his inheritance on fast cars and even faster women."

Still frowning deeply, Superman had countered, "You know...he's not as bad as the newspapers make him out to be."

Batman had chuckled. "No, he's worse. Why d'you think he doesn't give interviews? Because the picture they paint of him in gossip columns isn't half as bad as the actual one."

"Oh, come on. Have you ever even met the guy?"

"Don't need to."

Sighing, Superman had replied, "Well, I have, and unless I've suddenly become a really awful judge of character, I'm telling you: he's not that bad."

Titling in head to the side, Batman had frowned and remarked, "You feel sorry for him?" It hadn't been a question so much as a stunned statement.

"Maybe I do," Superman had admitted after a moment's reflection. "I don't know... there's this sadness in the man's eyes. Look, it doesn't matter what I think anyway, does it? What matters is that he's unaccounted for and we need to find him."

"I'm sure he's perfectly safe," Batman had assured him. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll ask Oracle to try and triangulate his location - from his cell phone or something."

Superman had thanked him and flown away, still scanning the debris like the good Boy Scout that he was. Batman had watched him for a moment, shaking his head... A short few minutes later, he'd tapped the communications device in his ear and told Superman yet another lie - that Bruce Wayne had apparently just now reported in with the GCPD.

Superman had seemed very relieved to hear the news, perhaps too much, in Batman's opinion. However, he had chosen not to raise the issue. Besides, he rather liked thinking that he'd made an impression on Superman - a good one, at that.

Of course, that had only made Batman feel worse about having played him and lied to him again, but somewhere deep down, the fact that Superman seemed to genuinely care for Batman's alter ego - and without knowing that they were one and the same - brought Bruce a dose of much needed comfort.

=:=

Shortly after that, Bruce Wayne managed to get himself stuck, lying to Clark Kent repeatedly over the course of an evening. And he'd regretted that most of all.

Bruce hadn't planned for the evening to go that way. In fact, he had all but decided that he was going to come clean about his secret identity, once and for all. But when he'd granted the reporter an exclusive interview, it hadn't crossed the billionaire's mind that Clark might want to bring a photographer along with him.

That is how Bruce had found himself sitting across from the reporter, forced to make up details about his fictitious life, for well over an hour and a half.

Fortunately, no one had ever asked the Prince of Gotham these questions before, and hence he wasn't afraid of contradicting himself too much by making up anecdotes and stories on the spot. And if he never agreed to an in-depth personal interview again, he wouldn't have to worry much about contradicting himself later, either. Besides, if worse came to worse, he could probably still play the ditzy playboy card and get away with just about anything - as usual.

Still... this wasn't just anyone he was sitting across from, and lying to this particular individual now seemed like the worst possible sort of insult Bruce could think of.

What made everything so terrible, was that Clark seemed to believe all of his stories. That, Bruce knew, was as much because as Batman he'd turned hiding his true identity into an art form, as it was because of Clark's willingness to trust in people, to believe that there was good in all of them if only one bothered to look.

That, and the fact that, for whatever reason, Clark seemed to have developed a soft spot for Bruce. Whether it was because the reporter felt sorry for him, Bruce wasn't certain, but he'd made an impression - and it wasn't a bad one. Just as the reporter was starting to make quite an impression on the billionaire as well.

And now, every new lie, every fake detail from Bruce Wayne's life left a bad taste in his mouth. Every next one of them made him want to take back the previous ones, and apologize. Except, of course, he couldn't do that. Not with Jimmy Olsen around. And since Jimmy showed no signs of wanting to leave, the conversation was dragging on, and Bruce was now as irritated as he was sorry.

Faking a migraine - one more lie for the pile he'd created already couldn't possibly make things worse - Bruce had asked his guests to leave.

As he led them out, he asked Clark to thank Superman for him, for having helped get everyone to safety, the night of the charity event.

"Please tell him that his efforts were greatly appreciated," Bruce had said, very sincerely.

Clark had smiled and replied, "I'm sure he would tell you that it was the least he could do, all things considered."

Very soon, Bruce was left alone, with his fake migraine, his fake life, and a mountain of remorse to go along with them.

=:=

That is when Bruce Wayne decided that he'd had enough of lying to Clark Kent. Now, he was going to tell him the truth. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Grudgingly, Bruce got down to the Batcave, and donned his armor. Then he hopped into his car and drove away toward downtown Gotham where, once he'd managed to climb up to the top of a skyscraper, he nervously tapped his communicator and requested Superman's presence. Or, more accurately, he ordered his super-powered friend back to Gotham City so they could have a talk - right now.

In less than the time it took for the Caped Crusader to breathe in and out again, Superman dropped from the sky, just a few feet away, on the roof of the building.

"You wanted to talk?" Superman said, the look on his face one of curiosity and concern.

"Yes, I..." Batman faltered. Then, frowning, he took a deep breath and went on, "You deserve to know who I really am."

For a moment, Superman simply stood there, his head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed as though he did not understand.

"Go on," Batman insisted, "Look."

[](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/15961.html#cutid1)Slowly, Superman whispered an "Oh." He extended a hand and reached for Batman's cowl, slipping the tip of his thumb under the mask.

Surprised, Batman said, "I-- uh, I thought you were going to _look_. With your X-ray vision."

"Isn't it lead-lined?" Superman replied automatically.

"It never was..."

As Superman was about to remove his hand, Batman quickly grasped his wrist, holding it in place.

"No," the Dark Knight objected, "it's fine like this." He let his hand drop back to his side and waited. Seeing the hesitation on Superman's face, he added, "Please," in a voice much more hoarse than usual.

Superman slid his thumb further under Batman's mask. Eyes closed, Batman leaned in imperceptibly to the other man's touch, seeking its warmth, its strength, and most of all, some form of absolution for his sins. Slowly he felt the cowl being pulled over his head.

Batman opened his eyes again. "I'm sorry," he said very simply, not knowing how else to express his regret.

"You're...?" Superman blinked, then whispered, "You're _Bruce Wayne_?"

"You really didn't know?" Bruce slowly managed to ask.

"You didn't want me to. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready to do so." Taking a small step back, Superman smiled and extended his hand to Bruce. "It's nice to meet you," he said, "I'm Clark Kent."

Somewhat confused, Bruce took his hand and lightly shook it. "You're not... _mad_?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Why should I be?"

Bruce frowned deeply. "Because I lied to you?"

"You do what you must to protect your secret," Clark replied, shrugging. "In case you hadn't noticed, I do the same thing. Every day."

"Yes, but you don't _lie_ ," Bruce insisted. "You evade questions, you answer them vaguely, but you don't spend hours making up facts. I-- I sat there tonight and lied to your face for close to two hours straight."

A small chuckle and Clark replied, "That's not how I see it. Sure, Bruce Wayne's life might be a bit on the fictitious side - some of it seemed a tad exaggerated, but I figured that was all part of the character. All of that, all these stories, they're the truths of his made up existence. As such, I don't really consider them lies."

Mouth gaping, Bruce stared at the man in front of him, blinking in disbelief. "You're really not angry?" he asked after a long moment. "I find that hard to believe. I ask...no, I _demand_ that you trust me, but I won't trust you in return. I'd be...oh, hell, I'd be furious."

"I'm not you," Clark told him, an eyebrow raised. "And I don't see any reason to get all bent out of shape. Besides, I-- I was... _hoping_...that it would be you under there."

"You were? Why?" Bruce asked, frowning as he tried to make sense of the other man's statement.

Superman lifted off from the roof, hovering about a foot in the air. "I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said with a lopsided smile, "You're the detective, after all." As he started to leave, slowly gaining altitude, he added, "Let me know when you do."

"Wait!" Batman called after his friend's retreating figure, but Superman did not come back.

Pulling his cowl back over his head, Batman grumbled to himself, "Well, you could have at least waited for me to apologize."

There was a short buzzing sound from the communications device in his ear and, a moment after that, he heard Superman say, "Apology accepted. Goodnight, Bruce."

Looking into the empty sky above, Batman smiled and replied, "Goodnight, Clark."

=> End.

Click [here](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/15961.html#cutid1) for a full sized version of [](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/profile)[**hitokaji**](http://hitokaji.livejournal.com/) 's illustration. :)


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